Stamping-machine



F. I. ST|LES.,

STAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-19.1919.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

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- awvwwtoz F. I. STILES.

STAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-191 1919.

1,369,570. Y Paten ted Feb. 22,1921.

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irsn STATES PATENT oFFics.

FRANK I. STILES, OF COGOANU'I. GROVE, FLORIDA.

STAMPING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

Application filed August 19, 1919. Serial No. 318,550.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK I. S'rILEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cocoanut Grove, in the county of Dade and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stamping-Machines, of which the following is a specifica- My present sole invention relates to a stamping machine or stamping unit particularly designed for stamping a trade-mark, trade name or merchant or growers name upon various articles, such as nuts, oranges, grape fruit or the like, and an object of the invention is to provide a stamping machine of this nature, by means of which the arti cles to be stamped are fed from a hopper, the

feeding being assured by a cam-actuated feeder, to a carrier structure which carries the articles into and past operative engagement with suitable stamps, which stamp or imprint upon the article the symbol or wording desired, after which the articles are de posited in a suitable receptacle or chute for delivery to suitable containers.

A further object of the invention is to prov vide a rotary stamp, comprising a suitable wheel or pulley having a plurality of springs extending therefrom, and each carrying a stamp at its outer end, which engages against a suitable inking roller during the rotary movement of the stamp and rior to engagement of the stamp with one of the articles, and to provide an inking roller of such comparative diameter that the stamping and inking wheel will make several revolutions before a stamp strikes successively in the same place upon the inking wheel or roller.

A further object of the invention is to' provide a brush which engages the articles to be stamped, immediately prior to their engagement with the stamp-to correctly adjust or position the articles for clear stamping thereof.

A further object 'is to provide means for distributing the stamping ink upon the stamping roller or wheel, evenly to insure a clean reproduction of the rubber stamp upon the article being marked.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying eral views, the supporting structure 10 of the stamping machine, has a feeding hopper 11 carried thereby, into which the nuts, oranges, grape fruit or analogous articles to be marked are placed, and from which the articles are fed through a chute 12, pivotally mounted at 12*. The passage of the articles from the hopper 11 into the chute I 12 is assured by the channel-shaped feeder 13, pivotally connected at 13* to the hopper 11 adjacent the mouth 14 thereof, and is equipped with an arm l3 which has a cam roller 15, mounted. upon its lower end engaging the periphery of a cam 16. The cam 16 is arranged, so that it will operate the feeder 1.3 to assure the continuous passage of the articles indicated at A from the hopper 11 into the chute 12 from which they pass one by one into the nests formed in the links 17 of the article-carrying chain 18. This article-carrying-chain 18 passes about suitable guide wheels 19 and'20 having concaved peripheries, and provided with annular flanges 21", attached thereto, between which the chain 18 travels. The nests on the links 17 are formed by angularly disposed members 21 one preferably integral with each link adjacent its hook end, and divergent members 22 also preferably integral with the link and extend upwardly and away from the members 21 above the links as clearly shown in Figs. land 4 of the drawings, to provide a nest which diminishes in size as it extends downwardly, thereby permitting it to receive the articles of various sizes. The nest having only three points for articles to rest in like a portion of an inverted tripod, it follows that articles of various sizes will seat solidly in the nest. This chain 18 is operated by means of a sprocket wheel 23, which engages in the links 17 during their travel over the lower or idle run of the chain, and the sprocket 23 is carried by a suitable shaft 24, which is, 1n turn, coiinected through the medium.

of any suitable power-transmitting means, as indicated at 25, with a prime mover 26,- which may be an electric motor or any other suitable type of energy-producing mechanism. The shaft 24 is also connected by means of suitable power-transmitting means 27, with the shaft 28 upon which the cam 16 is mounted. Immediately after the articles A. are engaged by the chain 17 upon their issuance from the outlet ends of the trough 12, they areengaged by the bristles of a brush 29 which serves to adjust and position the articles for subsequent proper stamping thereof. This brush 29 is prefer-- outer end of a spring 33, and these springs 33 are attached to the periphery of a wheel 34, as clearly shown in F ig. l of the drawings. By preference the springs 33 extend tangentially from the periphery of the wheel 34 and curve over the point of attachment with the wheel providing bowed or arcuate resilient supports for the rubber stamps32, permitting efficient resiliency of the stamping elements or members, which is desirable in the stamping of articles wherein the sizes of the respective articles vary, slightly. The stamps 32 are inked by an inking roller 35, the periphery of which is preferably covered with any suitable type of inking pad or absorbent, as indicated at 36, so as to permit the proper distribution of the stamping ink upon the stamp 32. The inking roller 35 is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 37, and it is connected by means of a suitable power-transmitting mechanism 38 with the shaft 39, which carries the roller 20, so that the rotation which is imparted to the roller 20, by means of the chain 18 will be, in turn, imparted to the inking roller 35 I for rotating it with the operation of the device. The circumference of the inking roller 35is such that during the operation of the device, several revolutions of the stamping membersor structures will be made before one of the stamps 32 will strike in the same spot in which it previously en-' gaged the roller 35. The inking roller has the stamping ink applied thereto and distributed thereover, by a distributing roller 40 which is rotated by frictional engagement with the periphery of the roller -35. The stain ing ink is delivered to the distributing ro ler 40 by a second distributing roller 41 which is preferably of smaller diameter than the roller 40, while the latter is much smaller in diameter than the inking roller 35. The ink is distributed to the roller '41, from any suitable ink reservoir 42, by a pivotally mounted distributer 43, which is pivotally supported at 44, and has a weighted end 45 positioned outwardly from the portion thereof which engages the roller 41, for holding the distributerin engagement with the periphery of the distributing roller 41, thereby causing the spreading of the ink over the periphery of the roller 41, from which it is distributed to the roller 40 and from this latter roller to the inking wheel or roller 35. The ink reservoir 42 may be of any desired construction for retaining and delivering the ink in predetermined quantities to the distributer 43.

In operation, the nuts, oranges, or other articles to be stamped are placed in the hopper 11 and their passage out of the hopper through its mouth 14 is assured by the feeder 13, operated-by rotation of the cam 16 so as to feed the articles A in succession into the chute 12. The chute 12 moves on its pivot as the articles pass therethrough under gravity action and upon issuing'from the outlet end of the chute 12 the articles are seated in the nests of the links 17 of the chain 18, so they are carried beneath the brush 29 and also beneath the -rotary shaft structure which is timed so that one of the stems 32 will be brought into operative position upon the movement of each article in operative relation with its rotary stamping structure, thereby insuring the imprinting of the design or wording of the shaft 32 upon each of the articles. After the articles have received the imprints thereon they are carried by the chain 18 over the flanged wheel 20 and deposited in a suitable chute 46 which delivers them to any suitable .receptacle or location.

The wheel 34 is mounted upon a shaft 47,

which is connected, by means of a suitable power-transmitting mechanism 48 with the shaft 24, for rotatingthe stamping mechanism by the rotation of the prime mover 26. It is to be understood that the organized mechanism shown herein constitutes one unit, and that as many units may be employed on the same shaft as the capacity of ply means or chute 12, the conveyor andthe successively operating stamps.

Changes in details may be made without gleparting from the spirit of this invention,

I claim: I v 1. In an article stampingdevice, the combination of a stamping structure including a wheel, a plurality of'bowed. springs attached to the periphery of said wheel and extending tangentially therefrom, and stamps carried at the outer ends of'said springs.

2. In an article stamping device, the combination, of a rotary stamping structure including a wheel, a plurality of bowed springs attached to the periphery of said wheel and extending tangentially therefrom,

a stamp carried at the outer end of each of said springs, means for rotating said wheel, to bring said stamps into printing engagement with articles, and means for carrying the articles to be stamped into position to be engaged by the stamps.

3. In an article stamping device, the combination, of a rotary stamping structure including a wheel, a plurality. of bowed springs attached to the periphery of said wheel and extending tangentiall therefrom a stamp carried at the outer end of each of said springs, means for rotating said wheel to. bring said stamps into printing engagement with articles, means for carrying the articles to be stamped into position to be engaged byl the stamps, and means for p0- sitioning t e articles prior to their engagement by the stamps.

4. In an article stamping device, the combination, of a rotary stamping structure including a wheel, a pluralit of bowed springs attached to the perip cry of said wheel and extending tangentially therefrom, a stamp carried by the outer end of each of said springs, means for rotating said wheel to bring said stamps into imprinting engagement with articles, means for carrying articles to be stamped into posi tion to be engaged by the stamps, and a brush for engaging the articles to adjust or position the same prior to the engagement of the articles by said stam s.

In testimony whereof I afl ix my signature.

FRANK I. STILES. 

